So I have posted before in this thread. I'm after a small "toy hauler" of sorts that has a full bathroom and four bunks and is a tag trailer. Kicker is the weight needs to be REALLY low, like 3k or less unloaded. My original plan was to find someone's abandoned Airstream project and just figure out how to wiggle dual sport motorcycles through the side door and do everything else custom in the interior.

But I need the bathroom to be across the back, and that kind of custom work scares me some. And now I'm kind of getting into gokart racing, so something more "conventional" with a rear ramp would make a lot more sense for this. And someone here suggested the stuff from livinlite.

So finally I decided to see what they could do in a custom unit. The VRV line seems perfect as there's an 8.5x18 that seems to be where I need in terms of weight. I just want it with the bathroom across the front and no galley. But apparently they're pretty cookie-cutter on those, so that redesign is a pain. But they offered to do a custom AXXESS in 8.5x18 (normally they do those in 22 and 26' long only, but the bathroom is already across the front). New 22' ones fully built out inside seem to be listed for about $28k, so in the RV world I assumed that means $25k. And I want a lot LESS inside (and out), so I was hoping to get down around $20k. They were very easy to work with and understood what I want and got a floorplan that looked good pretty quick. Then they passed me on to a dealer to get pricing (and there is a dealer VERY close to me, which was nice).

Then the price came in at just over $30k out the door. They said the extra was due to the fact that it's "custom" and requires extra engineering. *sigh*

So back to the drawing board. I'm not paying that for a trailer. I'll figure out how to live without first.

--Donnie

Click to expand...

I was in the exact mind set as you and just could not find a trailer to fit the bill. I went to a bunch of different mfg companies and as soon as I changed a thing the price was over 20k.

Hope to have it done for under 6k (plus my time which is worthless:) )

Click to expand...

So somehow I missed your thread in the early stages and only saw the last page or two recently. From that alone, I did NOT surmise that you were looking for a pretty lightweight trailer like me. But now I see I'm wrong.

What's funny is I found a toyhauler on RVT.com that I thought might work and emailed the dealer (in Savannah) asking about the weight. Found out it was too heavy and was going to move along when the salesman said he had something that he could get that would work. He sent me pics and a floorplan and said he could order it and it would be $15,600, but while he'd answer my questions on it, the one thing he would NOT tell me was exactly what it was and who made it.

Turns out it was right there on the first page of your thread...the Wolf Pup by Cherokee. *sigh*

I *really* thought I wanted 8.5x18 to fit two bikes, but then today (before you posted this) I did some measuring and realized a 7' will get two bikes like I want with no problem. In fact, that's exactly what I used to take to Colorado last summer when I borrowed my Dad's, but didn't even realize it. Duh.

The problem with the Wolf Pup is the fridge makes it appear, at least that I can't really get two bikes in there. Based on some rudimentary math and screen measuring, I think it's only about 6.5 feet from the back of fridge to the ramp. That's too short for a KLR650 or my BMW G650X, which is a bit of a problem. Maybe the wheel squeaks in front of it and it's still straight?

And in searching, found one on a lot for a LOT less money than I was quoted. What a crook at the Savannah dealership:

So while I like the idea of starting with a cargo trailer and building it out, this may be close enough and worth it to me. Might still consider removing the fridge and rebuilding the galley part to nothing more than a sink tucked further forward. My other problem is I'd like to be able to get four mountain bikes in there along with two motorcycles. But I think I might be going a little crazy at that point...

So somehow I missed your thread in the early stages and only saw the last page or two recently. From that alone, I did NOT surmise that you were looking for a pretty lightweight trailer like me. But now I see I'm wrong.

What's funny is I found a toyhauler on RVT.com that I thought might work and emailed the dealer (in Savannah) asking about the weight. Found out it was too heavy and was going to move along when the salesman said he had something that he could get that would work. He sent me pics and a floorplan and said he could order it and it would be $15,600, but while he'd answer my questions on it, the one thing he would NOT tell me was exactly what it was and who made it.

Turns out it was right there on the first page of your thread...the Wolf Pup by Cherokee. *sigh*

I *really* thought I wanted 8.5x18 to fit two bikes, but then today (before you posted this) I did some measuring and realized a 7' will get two bikes like I want with no problem. In fact, that's exactly what I used to take to Colorado last summer when I borrowed my Dad's, but didn't even realize it. Duh.

The problem with the Wolf Pup is the fridge makes it appear, at least that I can't really get two bikes in there. Based on some rudimentary math and screen measuring, I think it's only about 6.5 feet from the back of fridge to the ramp. That's too short for a KLR650 or my BMW G650X, which is a bit of a problem. Maybe the wheel squeaks in front of it and it's still straight?

And in searching, found one on a lot for a LOT less money than I was quoted. What a crook at the Savannah dealership:

So while I like the idea of starting with a cargo trailer and building it out, this may be close enough and worth it to me. Might still consider removing the fridge and rebuilding the galley part to nothing more than a sink tucked further forward. My other problem is I'd like to be able to get four mountain bikes in there along with two motorcycles. But I think I might be going a little crazy at that point...

--Donnie

Click to expand...

assuming the floor plan drawings on the Forrest River site are scaled it looks like the measurement you are most concerned with is 7 feet. What I would do is load the bikes backwards with the front wheels angled (angling the front wheel of a bike into a corner is a very stable way to load and tie down) to each rear corner of the trailer and the tails of the bikes angled together.

What would concern me is the listed dry hitch weight of the trailer (285 lbs) then putting 900 lbs of dualsports at the back of the trailer. The axle is fairly far set back to help compensate, but I would still be a bit careful about that. Maybe you could load one up into the galley?

It's gorgeous inside and out, but man, $100k? No way. I've seen some VERY beautiful restored early small Airstreams in the $50k range and thought they were pretty crazy, but they are comparable in every way to one of these and still only half the price. *shrug*

The extreme light weight coupled with what appears to be pretty hefty side surface area would concern me - I've driven in fierce gusting cross winds in the western states which would make me very nervous if towing the unit. Be a sad sight seeing $ 100 T lying on its side or over the bank.

I think the dealer I bought mine from had those for sub 10k... everywhere else I looked they were mid 13k. The looked pretty good but it was still more weight and a bigger size then I wanted to pull around. Additionally I did not want water and bathroom as most of my camping friends complain the most about those two features.

when I bought my cargolite extreme I think the Vymeron was about 13k but dont hold me to that. The dealer I got mine from in TN had great prices. Small family own business who are frequent campers too...